John Payne of The Wedge Dies, Legacy Celebration July 19
On July 17, 2008, popular artist, art advocate and The Wedge owner John Payne died at the age of 58 in Mission Hospitals, reported WPVM. A gathering with the public invited will be held Sat., July 19, to celebrate his life and accomplishments in conjunction with a previously scheduled grand opening of the brand new Wedge microbrewery. Click Here>

*For the WPVM report, Click Here>

*For The Wedge, Click Here>

*For Payne Studios including John Payne's Bio, Click Here>

*For Wedge Brewing article by Mountain Xpress, Click Here>

*For Asheville Beer blog, Click Here>

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Goodbye, John ...
*Email your sentiments and stories about John Payne to DowntownAsheville.com, Click Here>

Your magic will be missed.
Rest in Peace, John. Sorry you never got the chance to go back to Tahiti and live out the rest of your days, as you said you might do not so long ago. And thanks for letting me play with your latest inventions. Your magic will be missed, but your legacy long remembered.
-Byron Belzak

Remembering John Payne.
There is a black hole in the local arts community. ... Local artist and River Arts District visionary John Payne died after suffering a massive stroke. He was 58. He is remembered both for his work as a sculptor and as the owner of the Wedge building, an arts-friendly space that has been credited with helping turn the River District into a haven for a variety of artists and performers.
-Excerpt of article by Steve Shanafelt, as published in MountainXpress